Save a Life
by Ifeelfantastic
Summary: Set in a world of zombies. Santana is one of the few humans left in a zombie apocalypse caused by extraterrestrial beings. She lives with other survivors in a ware house trying to stay alive. One day someone outside is in immediate help, and Santana gets ordered to save them. But do they actually need her help?
1. Hostile beings

**Hello there! This was originally meant to be a short story I had to write as an assignment for my English class, but I wanted to continue it outside of class, which I will. English is not my native language, so I apologize if there is anything you don't understand or if there are any grammatical- or spelling errors. If you read the story I would greatly appreciate if you could tell me what you think of it :)**

**I don't own anything.**

What do you do when it all falls apart? When your life has crumbled and only the remnants of what was once called civilization remains? Would you end it all, or would you fight for your survival?

Nothing is the same anymore. The streets are empty, cold and dark and the only sound that can be heard are those of the wind and the low growls of the living dead searching frantically for their next meal. They wander the streets aimlessly, unable to form some sort of coherent thought as to what has occurred.

Fifteen years ago American scientists made a major breakthrough; they succeeded in contacting intelligent life outside of our own galaxy. The scientists were astonished with their findings and to say there were surprised would be an understatement. They kept close contact with the extraterrestrials and told them everything they wanted to know about humanity and Earth. The aliens asked questions regarding the species inhabiting our planet, our armies and general defenses and how advanced our technology was. At first the Americans found it difficult conversing with the aliens, for they did not speak or understand our languages. This problem was solved when the creatures from outer space sent signals to the scientists' laboratories causing the scientists' equipment to react. Those signals contained pictures which were easy to interpret and the Americans responded in the same way.

It turned out the extraterrestrials were far more advanced than humans had ever expected. The rate at which their technology had developed exceeded mankind's expectations by far, compared to them, our technology could rightfully belong in the Stone Age. In the matter of a little more than fourteen years of constant contact the aliens dropped the bomb; they were on their way to Earth.

A great welcome committee stood prepared to greet Earth's new guests on the day of their arrival. Anyone who wanted to witness their landing was welcome to do so. Thousands of people stood waiting at an open field outside of Chicago eagerly waiting.

Hours seemed to pass and there was no sign of the aliens. The majority of the crowd waiting kept their heads turned upwards, hoping to catch a glimpse of their craft. But nothing could be seen.

"Everybody, just stay patient! I believe our guests must have simply been delayed by an unfortunate turn of events, I am sure they will be here in matter of minutes!" the leader of the welcome committee spoke into a microphone, giant speakers sending his words across the field.

As soon as the echo of his speech had vanished, a ringing noise could be heard. The volume and pitch of the noise increased by the second and left the crowd wondering what was happening. It soon reached such a high pitch that the mass of people had to cover their ears to prevent becoming hearing-impaired. But the noise was not the only matter bothering them. A blinding light was starting to form in front of their eyes which grew larger and larger. But as soon as it had appeared it was gone, like a flash in the sky but right on the ground. The sound disappeared in time with the light and they were replaced by no less than 40 creatures, although creatures would be the wrong word to describe them with.

The aliens looked incredibly similar to humans. The differences were that the newcomers were taller, at least six foot five, and extremely skinny with thin limbs. Their ears were large and had a pointed ends, not very different from those of an elf, and their eyes were the size of tennis balls. They all had two characteristic traits in common; their heads were covered in thick dark brown, almost black, hair, though the length of said hair varied for each individual, and their skin was sickly gray.

With them they had brought some kind of armored vehicle, which could be compared to a house trailer though much grander and with a metal armor which seemed impenetrable, at least for human made weapons. The vehicle was armed with several guns pointing out of various hatchets, as if the aliens had expected to engage in combat upon their arrival.

They stood there, unmoving, their eyes scanning the crowds of people. The scientists approached the group of newcomers and began communicating with them. Nothing could be heard, the scientists had brought a device to show pictures to the aliens in a way of conversing.

The anticipation of the on looking crowd grew when a few of the aliens entered the vehicle and reappeared carrying numerous metal crates. The crates were brought before the scientists and a few moments passed before one of them turned around, facing the crowd.

"Our new guests have brought us gifts! These gifts are to be distributed among our people as a token of their gratitude! It is a liquid which will help us in becoming as technologically advanced as they are! By consuming it we will find ourselves becoming as clever as them! I am honored in taking part in this exchange and I will seal the deal by taking the first drink!"

The scientist, a bulky grown man in his late fifties with short black hair, held a large test tube high up in the air for everyone to see. The tube contained a light blue liquid, and in a swift motion, the man uncapped the tube and brought it to his lips. The liquid was gone in two gulps.

"The taste is impeccable! I can already feel my brain activity improving! Everybody deserves a tube of their own! Gather around and come get one!" he shouted into the microphone.

The crowd moved forward as the scientist turned to face the aliens, offering his hand for a friendly hand shake to one of them. The gray skinned creature just stared at his hand and the bulky man quickly withdrew it, remembering the fact that these newcomers are from a completely different culture.

Barely any commotion was caused as the people of the crowd approached to get a test tube of their own. The liquid was evenly distributed among those who were present. Everybody, especially the scientists, were eternally grateful for the gifts. If only they knew the gift would be their down fall.

That is why, months later, Santana finds herself running for her life down a dark alley, the living dead hot on her heels. Her legs hurt from the constant sprinting in an attempt to survive and her lungs burn as if they were on fire. She turns left around a corner, effectively breaking the zombies' line of sight, only to stand face to face with a dead end.

She lets out a yell in frustration and panic, frantically searching for an escape route. Turning around is no longer an option when she hears moans and grunts, signaling that her chasers are getting closer every second. Santana turns her gaze upwards, spotting a fire escape with the ladder extended. She feels a spark of hope within her and she quickly approaches the ladder.

The ladder does not reach the ground and the only way to reach is it is to jump. Santana is still panting heavily from her escape from the zombies and combined with the panic she feels it drains her of all the energy and oxygen she has left. Despite her being exhausted and feeling hopelessly scared, she still has the will to survive. She gathers all her remaining strength and bends her legs, and by pushing her feet against the asphalt she launches herself towards the ladder. But it is in vain. The ladder is several inches out of her reach and she jumps numerous times, only to end up failing after every attempt.

The sound of dragging feet reaches her ears and she spins around and gasps, the sight she sees doing nothing but increasing her feeling of panic. The group of zombies that chased her through the alley has once again spotted her. They let out high pitched gurgling sounds, effectively scaring Santana and making her skin crawl. With stumbling steps they advance forward, their arms reaching out to grasp at Santana once they get close enough.

Santana feels the tears well up in her eyes; she does not want it to end this way. She staggers backwards trying to get further away from the monsters. There is nothing left to do. She has no choice but to give in to her fears. The monsters in front of her are only a couple of yards away; it will all be over within a minute. Santana closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath, preparing for the inevitable.

Her thoughts are interrupted when she backs into something; the sound when she hits the object causes her to turn around.

"Of course!" she exclaims out loud.

She pushes the trash can she just hit forward, placing it underneath the ladder. In a swift movement she climbs the garbage can and throws a swift look towards her assailants, noticing they are less than fifteen yards away.

Wasting no more time she reaches for the ladder and begins to pull herself up onto the fire escape. A wave of relief washes over her when she feels her safety is within her reach and her panic is slowly dissipating. Just a few more steps on the ladder and she will be free from danger.

She throws her upper body onto the fire escape, legs still dangling along the ladder.

"I just need a second to breathe, then I will be okay" she thinks to herself.

But as soon as she finishes the thought something cold grabs her right ankle in an iron grip. She lets out a scream in terror, the fleeting moment of safety quickly escaping her. The hand gripping her leg begins pulling her down. In a state of hysteria she starts kicking with the little strength she has left. Her left foot hits something and she feels it crack beneath her boot. The grip on her ankle loosens and she quickly climbs the rest of the way up onto the fire escape.

Leaning her back against the wall of the building she tries to catch her breath and calm her beating heart. She feels several beads of sweat trickle down her neck and forehead. Her eyes are closed and she tries to relax, savoring in the feeling of still being alive.

"I'm alive." she says. "I'm still alive!"

Santana cannot help but laugh, the sound of her laughter fills the dark alleyway and she starts to cry. Tears of joy are freely falling down her cheeks but she does not care. She deserves to cry; tears of happiness and relief.

She glances down into the alley below her, the zombies still remain and they are desperately trying to reach the ladder above them. One of them has a crushed nose; the result of Santana's frantic kicking.

"You vile creatures" she spits, "may you all perish in a sea of flames."

She rises to her feet and continues to climb up the fire escape. Once she reaches the roof she lets her eyes scan the rest of the city. It is dark, gloomy and eerily quiet. The lives which used to inhabit this once glorious city are now long gone. Who could have thought that a light blue liquid could be the cause of something as awful as this?

With a sigh Santana tries to get her bearings straight; she needs to get back to her friends. It was always a risk to leave their safe haven, but they were in dire need of supplies. The bag, which she had carried on her back, was filled to the brim with various medical supplies and cans of food. She needed to get the items to the group. Once she knew in which direction to head she began the long trek back to her friends.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Santana! You're alive!" her Irish friend greeted her.

"Yeah, it was a close call in an alley back on Tower Street though. You should've seen them Rory, one of the bastards grabbed me!"

"Oh dear, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright, I was just scared senseless back there. For a minute I didn't think I would make it."

"You can't imagine how happy I am to see you unharmed, physically at least. Did you manage to gather any supplies?"

"Yes I did. Here take the bag."

Santana handed her full backpack to the boy who gladly took it. Rory was a decent guy, he came to the US from Ireland as an exchange student a few months back. He was just unlucky that a zombie apocalypse caused by extraterrestrial beings would occur shortly after his arrival.

Rory brought the backpack to the storage room where they kept all their medical supplies and treated those who were sick. The ware house which they used as a safe haven was a sturdy building and currently held close to 50 survivors. The windows and most doors were barricaded to keep the walkers out. There were several different rooms used for varying activities, such as housing the survivors, a dining hall and a tiny medical facility.

Santana was heading towards her room to get some much needed rest. She desperately hoped her roommates would not be present. She was way too tired to deal with their questions and constant worry.

To her great luck the room was empty when she entered it. She fell down on her bed and quickly succumbed to sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Hours later Santana woke to the sound of the door to her room opening. She opened her eyes and was met with the sight of her roommate Emma standing by her bed. Emma's big green eyes were set on Santana's and her red hair fell over her shoulders.

"Santana…" Emma said "Shannon is looking for you."

"What? She can't have another mission for me yet, I recently came back from my last one" Santana stated sleepily.

"She said it was an emergency, you better hurry."

"Alright" Santana replied with a sigh, "I'm going."

She swiftly got out of bed and headed towards the room where Shannon Beiste, the leader of the ware house, was residing. Shannon was the one who made sure the survivors never ran out of supplies. She constantly sent out people to scout the areas for survivors and food. No one in the building would be alive if it was not for her.

Santana reached the door at the end of a hallway on the second floor and knocked on it loudly. She heard a rough voice say "come in" and she reached for the door knob, twisted it and opened the door.

Shannon was standing by a window, one of the few not barricaded, and turned to Santana once she entered the room.

"Santana, there you are! We have spotted a survivor not far from here and we must retrieve her!" Shannon exclaimed.

"Why send me? Why can't you send the dwarf or Trouty Mouth?" Santana asked slightly annoyed.

"Please refrain from using those nicknames Santana, Rachel is only an inch or two shorter than you and Sam can't help having huge lips. But that's not the point. Both of them are currently unavailable and Zizes can't rescue this survivor on her own, she needs your help."

"I guess I don't have a choice do I?" Santana asked, "I'll head out right away."

"Thank you Santana! I am forever in your debt."

"Don't mention it, I'm not always the cold hearted bitch I appear to be."

Turning around, Santana quickly made her way out of Shannon's office and briskly moved through the corridor and down a set of stairs to the first floor where the armory could be found. She acquired some basic equipment; a knife, a bottle of water, some bandages and a hand gun. You never know what you will encounter out on the streets.

She turned towards the exit where Zizes would be waiting. As she walked towards the door she took a moment to think. Will this hell they live in one day end? Will they ever be able to go back to their old lives? The lives mankind lived before the aliens poisoned and used them as guinea pigs to see if their virus was effective or not. Ultimately resulting in the extermination of nearly seven billion humans. They were just monsters, not nearly as friendly as the scientists had claimed. But there is nothing to be done about that now. All they can do is pray and hope. Hope that this nightmare would one day come to an end.

Santana spotted Zizes by the door; she was leaning against the wall next to it, a tiny smile covering her lips.

"I see you survived yesterday's scavenge. It's good to see you again Santana." Lauren said.

"Likewise Zizes, now, shall we get this over with?" Santana responded.

"Of course. Are you ready?"

"Yes, let's go save a life."


	2. Surviving

**Thanks for the reviews, alerts and everything on the last chapter! Much appreciated. Apologies if there are any grammar- or spelling mistakes.**

**I don't own anything.**

The city had been evacuated months earlier, leaving it empty and only the groans of the living dead were echoing down the streets. Bodies of both humans and beasts mangled by the walkers littered the roads and sidewalks. Abandoned cars were scattered everywhere and blocked the streets, their placements evidence of the panic people had found themselves in when all the horror had started. The city was anything but a pretty sight.

Santana wondered what it was like in the rest of the world. She knew the nearby cities, and probably the whole country, were beyond salvation. She had met a few survivors who shared their stories with her, they told her of the walkers being an unstoppable legion of death, forcing the uninfected to leave their homes. They had travelled far and wide searching for safety. But there was none to be found.

But what was the situation like across the sea? Was Europe okay? If it was, why had they not sent any help? Or were they in a worse state than the US? Questions like these kept Santana awake at night. She wanted everyone, even complete strangers, to be alright. She did not wish for anyone to get hurt or meet a fate worse death: becoming a walking corpse. The old Santana would never have spared a thought on people she did not know. They were simply not worthy of her time or energy. A zombie apocalypse tends to change people though.

Santana has never been a scared girl either, she was by no means easily frightened. She did not even bat an eyelash when her roommate found that giant monster of a spider in their dorm room last year at college. Santana simply threw a shoe at it and then proceeded to discard the spider's remains in the trash can. Piece of cake.

But what does scare her is the silence she and Lauren are currently facing. The usual sound of dragging feet and moans they have grown accustomed to can no longer be heard. This particular alley way they are currently walking down usually holds at least a few of those fiends. But they are nowhere to be found.

"Where have all the dead gone?" Santana asks out loud.

"I have no idea, it's never this quiet" Lauren responds.

"This is giving me the creeps Lauren. Where the hell is the person we need to rescue?"

"Beiste said she's a few blocks away from the ware house. Suzy saw her run into that deserted convenient store up ahead when she was on her way back from her scavenge run. Apparently the girl barricaded the doors, but there were zombies surrounding the area. There was nothing Suzy could do."

"I'm sorry, but who the hell is Suzy?"

"Suzy, Suzy Pepper? You don't remember her?" Lauren asked skeptically.

"I can't keep track of every damn survivor in the ware house." Santana responded irritated.

"Tall girl, brunette, glasses. Likes to wear the color red."

Santana just stared at Lauren.

"She's the girl with a crush on Schuester. "

"Oh , her. The 19-year old who looks like she's 40 and dresses worse than my grandma? The Ware House Crazy?"

"Yeah, The Ware House Crazy..."

"Well, why didn't you just say so? That's way easier to remember than 'Suuuzy'"

Lauren just sighed and shook her head. She would never fully understand Santana.

They reached the end of the alley when the eerie silence was broken. Roughly 100 yards away was the convenient store they were looking for: surrounded by zombies. They were banging on the door and windows, desperate to reach what was hiding inside. Santana counted to at least 25 zombies aimlessly wandering around and brutally assaulting the building.

"Wow, that almost reminds me of Black Friday, people being desperate to enter a store" Santana stated.

"Hmm, you're right" Lauren said thoughtfully "it's fascinating to see they have one human instinct left".

"Very funny," Santana said sarcastically "so what's the plan? We found our target, now what?"

"I don't know" Lauren shrugged.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously" She stated firmly. "I thought all the preds would be gone by now".

"What the hell? Preds? Is that what you call them?"

"Yeah, everybody either calls them walkers or zombies. I wanted to feel special"

"I'm not even going to ask what it means" Santana shook her head.

There was silence between the two of them while they pondered on how to rescue the survivor. They could not just charge in Rambo-style and chop them all down, there were way too many of them. Shooting them would not be such a great idea either, the sound would reverberate through the city and only bring them unwanted attention of other zombies. Suddenly a loud cracking sound brought them out of their own worlds.

"Shit, they're almost through the door!" Santana exclaimed.

"We have to act quickly, I will run back down the alley and around the building, fire a few shots with my gun and draw them away from the store. Then you will have to get her out of there. Okay?" Lauren rushed out.

"What? No! That's equal to suicide! The sound will attract zombies all over the area!"

"Well if you have a better idea feel free to tell me!"

Santana opened and closed her mouth, almost looking like a fish on land gulping for air. She could not come up with anything else in the heat of the moment.

"Don't worry" Lauren said, "I will stay on top of the buildings, using the walkways we built a few weeks ago."

Santana sighed. "Ok, but be careful. I don't wanna have to rescue your ass too. Now go before I change my mind."

Lauren shook her head and laughed quietly. "Be cautious Santana, and get the survivor back to the ware house safely. Wait for the preds to disappear before you approach the store." With those words she turned around and left Santana alone in the alley.

Santana kept a watchful eye on the store, trying to spot any sign of life within the confines of it's walls. She saw no movement or any indication of a person being in there. The only sign was the zombies clawing at the boarded up windows and doors.

After a few minutes of pondering on how to approach the situation with the trapped survivor, several gun shots suddenly echoed down the street, effectively catching the zombies' attention. They suddenly stopped trying to tear down the boards and turned toward the source of the noise, but they were yet to move. They were grunting and moaning, as if arguing with each other whether to leave their current target and head for the shooter instead.

"Ugh, I absolutely despise the sounds they make" Santana thought, "they all sound like hippos giving birth."

Her thoughts were interrupted by another series of gun shots. This time the zombies' reacted and began walking towards Lauren's position. They were shambling forward, stumbling over each other and some were even crawling on the ground. It was an awful sight. They used to be people. People who had a life and followed routines every day. But all their emotions and thoughts which made them unique individuals were long gone. All that is left is a mindless body with an insatiable desire to feed.

It took a while for the street to become clear of walkers. Santana crouched down and hurried over to the front of the convenient store as soon as it was relatively safe. She just wanted to get this over with.

She tried to look through the cracks in the boards that covered the windows, but was only met with darkness. With a sigh she tried knocking on the boards and call out "Anyone in there? I'm here to help!", she was careful as to not draw any unwanted attention. But there was no reply. Santana quickly looked left and right to make sure she would not be ambushed when a quick movement from inside the store caught her attention. She snapped her head back towards the window and peered between the cracks, trying to make sure it was not her mind playing tricks on her. Then she saw it again.

"Hello?" she called out, "please, I'm trying to help you, let me in." There was no reply, and the movements had stopped. "I'm gonna try to get in, hold on!"

Santana backed away from the window and assessed her situation. The windows and door were covered with planks and thin sheets of plywood, only the handles of the door were visible. Pulling and pushing the door was futile, it must be barred on the inside. She cursed the door and stepped back, glaring at the handle as she did so.

"There must be a way in somewhere... there has to be a back door" she thought to herself.

Nodding to herself, she moved to the side of the building into an alley and swiftly located the back door next to a dumpster. Luckily, it was not barricaded, it was, however, locked.

"Damn it" she cursed quietly, "what the hell am I supposed to do now?"

She had no skills in picking locks, and not the necessary tools needed either, and trying to shoot the door open would just be foolish. Not only would it attract zombies, the bullet could also injure whoever was inside.

She decided to go all Lima Heights on the door and try to knock it down.

"How difficult can it be? They do it all the time in the movies."

Santana placed her right hand on the door handle and pressed her left shoulder against the door. She leaned away from the door, while still holding onto the handle, and counted to three before launching her shoulder full force into the door. Not her brightest idea.

With a squeal she let go of the door and gripped her shoulder.

"Fuck that hurt! Stupid misleading movies tricking people into breaking down doors..." she grumbled to herself.

The door was not even scratched from her brave attempt. Santana glared at it as if it was her worst enemy and hoped her evil looks would burn it down. Her staring contest with the door was interrupted when the object in question was slowly opening. A pale arm clad in a blue hoodie with the sleeve rolled up appeared. But what caught Santana's attention was the other hand when it appeared a second later, holding a gun.

Fear immediately coursed through Santana's body and she instinctively raised her hands. Zombies are vicious creatures, but they are at least easy to outsmart. People on the other hand, still had the capability of thinking and using their so called brain, well most of them, and were often more dangerous than the monsters walking the streets. Santana had never stared down the barrel of a gun before, but it was surely a moment she would never forget.

"We don't need your help, now leave, before you lure any of them here." a voice suddenly said.

Santana quickly looked up towards the source of the voice and was met with the sight of a blonde girl with her hair in a loose pony tail. She had clear blue eyes, high cheek bones, thin lips and dirt smudged over her cheeks and chin. Had it not been for the fact that Santana had a gun pointed at her face she would have been stunned by the beauty of the girl instead of fear.

"I won't say it again. Leave. Now." The girl stated.

Santana was brought out of her shocked state and replied:

"No please! My name is Santana, I'm from a ware house not far from here. There are other people there and it's safe. You should come with me!"

" Do you think I'm stupid? What makes you think we would follow a complete stranger to this so called 'ware house'? As far as I know, you could lead us away just to kill and rob us."

"We? Us? Are there others in there?" Santana asked carefully.

"Brittany? Is everything alright out there?" A man in his mid-forties appeared behind the blonde girl, who apparently was named Brittany.

"The girl who was banging on the boards and yelling earlier tried to knock down the back door and is now trying to lure us to her murder house." the blonde said. She sounded annoyed.

"No no! That's not what I said at all! Please sir" Santana turned to the man "I was sent out to rescue a survivor here at the store and I really do come from a ware house where other survivors live! I'm here with friendly intentions!"

"Bullshit" Brittany exclaimed and undid the safety on the gun "now, I'm being serious when I say we don't need any help."

The man put a hand on her shoulder. "Brittany be reasonable, let's bring her inside and talk about it there. We shouldn't be out in the open like this. The zombies can swoop down on us when we least expect it." He turned to Santana and gave her a small smile when he finished talking.

"...You're right. Swooping is bad. But search her first, I don't want any surprises if we bring her inside."

"Is that really necess-"

"Burt! Just do it!" Brittany shouted.

"Okay! Okay! Just keep your voice down."

He turned to Santana and closed the distance between them in a few steps.

"Sorry, but I have to do this." he said before he bent down and began patting over her boots and legs.

The other girl still had her gun pointed to Santana's face. "Keep your hands where I can see them, and don't try anything."

"Don't worry, I'm too scared to do anything, considering I'll be going into _your _murder house now."

Brittany smirked. "We won't do anything if you behave."

"I found a gun and a knife. Her backpack is empty save for a bottle of water." Burt said.

"Take the bottle too! What if it contains acid and she wants to throw it at us making us faces melt away!" Brittany took a step back and widened her eyes.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that." Burt sighed. "Now get inside, I'm starting to feel uneasy out here."

He went inside the store and Brittany motioned for Santana to follow suit. She still kept her hands in the air, afraid of taking them down in case Brittany would become more hostile than she already was.

No, Santana was not easily frightened, but today she had been scared twice. A new record. She hated being scared. It made her feel weak and vulnerable, only leading to people taking advantage of that. She would not admit it, but she had been terrified from the moment she and Lauren left the ware house. Then the feeling of anxiousness only grew further when she heard the door behind her being closed. She was now alone with two strangers, engulfed in darkness.

**I'd love to hear what you think of it :)**


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